for thehite house in the final stretch. president obama and mitt romney crisscross the country, hitting key battleground states. but, will sandy put a damper on their campaigning? and he's bringing sorry back just a week after he said i do, justin timberlake is saying i apologize to his fans. we'll tell you why "today," saturday, october 27th, 2012. good morning, welcome to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm lester holt. >> and i'm andrea canning. so happy to be here. >> you brought your umbrella, boots and maybe a boat? >> it is a big weekend. i love how you told me you're going to be living on granola bar for the next couple of days. >> i'm going to be in the middle of it.

it's going to be a bad one. >> all eyes on tropical storm sandy this morning as it slowly makes its way up the east coast. >> it was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm this morning. right now it's packing topped sustained winds of about 70 miles per hour. just below hurricane strength. but experts say it could become a hurricane again. >> here's the latest. five states and the district of columbia have declared states of emergency. millions of people in the path of the storm are being urged to stock up on supplies. >> here's why this is so frightening. it's expected to combine the elements of a typical tropical cyclone and a winter storm moving across from the west, giving it the potential to be quite devastating. widespread power outages and flooding are expected across huge areas. we're going to get the latest on when it's set to make landfall from al roker. >> and then we'll switch gears and look at the new details that are emerging about the emotional state of the new york city nanny accused of killing two of the children in her care. >> plus some important new information this morning about women and smoking. a new study contains some

scinating new evidence about the damage it causes, and the benefits of quitting. >> and later on, it seems even death hasn't stopped some top celebrities from earning millions of dollars this year. forbes is out with its annual list of the top names for you this year. may surprise you a little bit. >> a lot to get to. let's start with tropical storm sandy. al roker is tracking the storm from rehoboth beach, delaware. al, good morning. >> well, good morning, lester. it's a beautiful morning starting off here in the beach. lots of folks out on the beach checking out the, the surf that's starting to get a little angrier. but again, no sign of the, the devastation that, that we're expecting from sandy. in fact, earlier, it has caused already at least 40 deaths through the caribbean, and now it's making a march toward the east. here's the latest on the system. right now, it is 350 miles southeast of charleston, south carolina. 70-mile-per-hour winds. it's moving north/northeast at 10 miles per hour. tropical force winds extend out

some 450 miles from the center of this storm. right now, we do have tropical storm warnings in effect for the northwestern bahamas, also for parts of the florida coast. we're also looking at tropical storm watches and warnings along the carolina coast. we've got tropical storm warnings from the south santee river up to cape hatteras and duck and we're going to continue to see these warnings and watches issued as the day goes on. looking for storm surge out of this thing first of all for the carolinas. anywhere from three to five feet as you get to norfolk and the hampton bays area, about one to three feet. rainfall going to be a big problem out of this system, too. over the next 24 hours, from norfolk down to charleston, we could see anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of rain. now let's look at the path of this system. right now, we expect it to regain strength later today, on into late tonight, and become a category 1 storm. it will continue to parallel the

coast by sunday morning. by sunday afternoon, it's along the coast of cape hatteras, and then it gets ready to make a turn and come inland, and make its way in to the northeast somewhere. somewhere around -- anywhere from new jersey to long island. now, why is it going to do this? this is really unusual. well, we have the steering currents in the upper atmosphere. the jet stream, in a deep trough digging down. and as that trough starts to what we call negatively tilt, it is going to pull sandy closer in to the eastern seaboard. and that's where the trouble is going to begin. here's the other problem. the model, we look at these models. we look at the national hurricane center's path. we also look at the american computer model and the european computer model. the european is in the blue. look at as it makes its way during the day along the coast, the european model brings it in to new jersey. the american model brings it right in to about new york city. either one is going to be bad

for the northeast. but, if it makes its way just south of new york, new york, one of the most populated areas in this country, if not the world, we're talking about a major storm surge, and devastating winds, we're talking about winds, hurricane force winds, and anywhere from 6 to 10 inches, 12 inches of rain. the effects of this, lester, could be devastating. we'll continue to track this. >> that's quite a picture you paint there, al. dialin' dryer is going to have the rest of the nation's forecast coming up in a few minutes. first here's andrea. >> thanks, lester. tropical storm sandy has already affected the race for the white house. governor mitt romney and joe biden each canceled planned appearances in virginia. ron mott is in ohio with paul ryan. >> andrea, good morning to you. as you mention all eyes on sandy, including these two presidential campaigns. more on that in just a moment. first over the next ten days expect to see the president and governor romney hit these

battleground states hard. including ohio. perhaps the most critical of them all. it could ultimately decide who wins this race. yesterday governor romney health two events in the buckeye state including a rousing rally with paul ryan last night in north canton, ohio. the campaign says about 8,000 people showed up for that event, braving some pretty brisk temperatures outside last night. now he still has some work to do here. the latest cnn poll has the president up 50 to 46. four points. that's about half of what the lead was just a few weeks ago. governor romney has tipped into that lead but he still has some ways to go. as far as the president, he just wrapped up a 5,000 mile plus barnstorming tour through the battleground state. on friday he took the day off the trail. spent time doing interviews on the radio and television, including mtv. he's trying to court that young vote that helped him win the white house four years ago. back to sandy, a lot of eyes as you mentioned. they have canceled events in virginia and new hampshire. the president campaigns in new hampshire today. governor romney heads off to florida. back to you, andrea. >> ron mott, thanks.

and morning joe's joe scarborough and mika brzezinski are here with the look at moll ticks. and our weekend mo joe. >> thank you so much. >> president obama, he's made history by voting for the first time early voting. >> right. >> do you think that's going to play a big role seeing that very strategic photo-op of the president voting early? >> early voting, obviously, very important. mika and i were talking about this earlier. i mean the polls break in a big way on early voting for the president. >> yeah. the engagement there, so far, appears to be for the president. but there are no other polls that you look at, in terms of the direction of the country and the economy, that you see mitt romney closing in. you see this thing heating up and you get to a point where i'm not sure there's anyone who actually really knows, has a gut, has an absolute instinct as to what's going to happen. >> the tale of two campaigns, read dickens. it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. i could show you ten polls. you look at those polls, you think there is no way barack

obama's going to win. i could show you ten other polls and you'd say, mitt romney is sunk. >> an associated press poll now has him up, what is it 49 to 45. with women. do you think that maybe stemmed from the debate? he was a little more moderate in the debate? how is he picking up these female voters right now? >> i have no idea. >> you're asking the wrong person. >> i have no idea. and these debates over abortion and these republican candidates who are just stepping in it on those issues, i think terrible timing for your party. at the same time, the polls show that mitt romney is actually gaining support among women. >> in a big way. >> i also think, overall, it's still a kind of convoluted enough where each side, i can see, the positive that i want to see, and why i think obama will win. and he could probably see the other side. >> this is such a tight race. what do they need to do? what can they do at this point? >> president obama needs to close it. the past four years, he needs to be proud of his accomplishments. he needs to make sure that he makes very clear what he's done,

and also for critics like joe, what he intends to do. i think a lot of us feel like we know what he intends to do it. he needs to say it. fair enough? >> fair enough. it's going to be close in all of these swing states. it's all about the get out the vote message. and the obama team have more contacts on the ground than any other campaign in u.s. history. they've got to use those contacts. they're going to be making phone calls, they're going to be knocking on doors. mitt romney, on the other hand, he doesn't have that ground operation. he subs it out to the rnc. because he hasn't been president for four years. so for romney, i think he's going to be hoping more for this momentum from the first debate, to continue forward and carry him over the finish line. and, it's just -- it's momentum versus the obama ground game, and nobody, and i mean nobody alive knows how this thing's going to end. >> mika and joe thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> you can catch "morning joe"

6:00 a.m. on msnbc. now let's get the other top stories from tom llamas over at the news desk. >> andrea, good morning. good morning, everyone. there's dispushing news today about that company under investigation in the meningitis outbreak. the food and drug administration said mold and bacteria were found on surfaces inside what were supposed to be sterile rooms at the new england compounding center. and sterilization equipment was covered with a greenish yellow residue. the latest government report has 338 cases of meningitis nationwide, and 25 deaths. senate majority leader harry reid is in good condition this morning after a car accident. reid was in a six-car chain reaction car crash in las vegas friday. the senator suffered some bumps and bruises. he was treated and released from a hospital as were some of his staff members. overseas now, 15-year-old activist malala yousafzai will return to pakistan, her father says. the family has been reunited in a birmingham, england, hospital. malala is expected to recover

from gunshot wounds after an assassination attempt in pakistan two weeks ago. back here in the states, lady liberty is getting her crown back in a ground reopening tomorrow morning, weather permitting. time lapse photography shows the year-long construction that will be finished in time for the lady's 126th birthday. visitors will climb a new set of stairs inside a newly air conditioned statue to reach the crown. now back to lester, andrea and dylan. there is a little bit of drama. lady liberty has her new crown, just got a nip and tuck, but she says everyone in new york is talking about this other character sandy and she doesn't know why. >> everyone has plastic surgery these days. dylan dreyer is here with a check of the forecast. >> the rest of the country is dealing with a cold front. a steering current that's going to draw in sandy as we go into monday. you could see we will see some showers across the eastern great lakes. the middle of the country much cooler than normal. temperatures about 10 degrees

below average. that's a look at t >> and that's your latest weather. andrea? and now health news. we've known for decades smoking is bad for you. but now the biggest study ever about the risk for smoking for women shows just how important it is to quit. the latest from robert bazell. >> reporter: 28-year-old amanda garcia just joined a program to

try to quit her smoke a day smoking pattern. a smoker since age 15. she always thought about quitting. >> i don't think i was ever ready. i always said i'm not doing it until i'm ready. >> reporter: researchers in britain followed one million women now in their 60s and 70s for 12 years. smoking a pack a day starting in their teens, reduced life expectancy by an average of 11 years. tripling the chances of a premature death. a number even higher than the risk for men. >> if you're a smoker for your whole life, the chances that you'll die directly from your smoke rg greater than the chances of dying from everything else put together. >> reporter: the study found that even women who smoked a few cigarettes a day doubled their chances of dying younger. but the nude from the study is not all bad. it reinforces the idea that if you quit, it reduces the risk, and the sooner the better. the research finds that if a woman who starts smoking as a teen quits before age 40, her increased chances of dying drop

by 90%. even if a woman stops by age 50, her extra risk drops by 66%. for garcia and others 30 or younger who manage to quick, their excess risk disappears almost completely. garcia's main reason for trying to quit now, her two kids. >> my kids mean everything to me. and i want to be there for them. >> reporter: and she knows she has a far greater chance to be there by kicking the habit. for "today," robert bazell, nbc news, new york. >> and now here's lester. you ever wanted to quit your job in dramatic fashion? greg smith did it. he wrote a "new york times" op ed back in march that rocked the financial world. it was called "why i am leaving goldman sachs." he described in gripping detail what he called the toxic environment at goldman, one that encouraged taking advantage of its clients. his book is now in stores. greg, good morning. thanks for coming on. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> in the book, you frame the

leadership of goldman sachs as having made a choice between profit and reputation. when did they make that swing? >> as your viewers will know, earlier in the decade, there were a lot of things that were deregulated like complicated derivatives. it got to the point where banks saw they could make more money using their client information to bet for themselves as opposed to facilitating for a client business. ultimately by the time i left for firm, three quarters of the money was being made in the training business, as opposed to the original reason for wall street, which is helping companies raise money and merging. it's been a real revenue shift and also a behavior shift where taking advantage of clients has become the norm. >> what you write about are ethics issues, not really legal issues, per se. >> that's the great irony of the crisis. people question why has no one gone to jail for what happened in 2008. the truth is it's actually legal, it's just highly unethical. the idea of ripping off a teacher's retirement fund or

selling global charity, or betting against clients. while they're morally, highly dubious, they're actually legal. so what i'm advocating is we actually need to make these things illegal so people will go to jail for these things. >> some of the things you write about are playing both sides of the fence. working a deal on both sides. again, not -- there's no crime here. >> no. and there should be. when one bank is on all sides of a deal and using their client information to bet against them -- i use the example of a casino. if you're a casino and you can see everyone's cards in the casino, are you ever going to lose? probably not. there are some banks that go an entire 90 days in a row and make money every single day and it's purely for this reason, they can see everyone's cards. >> did you want to hurt gold man sacks? >> no, i'm of wall street. i've been on wall street my entire career. there's a group of people that wanted to be more sustainable. this idea of take the money and run is not a very good way for a

company to last. >> why write this unless you want to hurt them? and the next follow-up question is did you hurt them? >> i wrote this book because after the op ed, i got thousands of messages from people, and there are two reasons i wrote it. goldman is a very mysterious place. i wrote this book for people who are not on wall street who want to understand what are the good parts and the bad parts. my idea with writing this op ed is to make goldman a better firm, a firm that does not have to settle half a billion lawsuit. >> well, they claim they looked at a lot of your allegations and they released a statement, mr. smith's op-ed portrayed a firm that is unrecognizable to us and directly opposite to the culture we work hard to foster, but we took his claims seriously and conducted a thorough review of them. that review found no evidence to support his claims, but did find that mr. smith appeared to be frustrated about his career. so they say we looked at ourselves, we're clean. >> i would say clients are being called muppets and goldman sachs

said we look for the word muppet. calling someone a muppet is not bad in itself. the reason you're calling them a mup set the bad thing. when a police officer's pungs fund is ripped off. i guarantee you, if your viewers read this book, they'll think this behavior is egregious. unfortunately, wall street has become so cynical that these practices are almost accepted. i would say i hope people read the book to get an understanding of what really goes on on wall street. >> you've opened up quite a conversation. greg smith, thanks for being here. the book is called "why i left goldman sachs." once again, here's andrea. lance armstrong has had a very tough couple of weeks, following the release of a scathing report calling him a doper. his seven tour de france victories erased, dropped by sponsors, resigning as head of live strong, and now two women

who tried to expose him as a cheater are speaking out. they sat down with harry smith to set the record straight. >> reporter: lance used a number words to describe you over the years. do you remember some of them? >> unhinged. crazy. ugly. fat. obsessed. jealous. hateful. vindictive. but he never called me a liar. he never called me a liar. >> reporter: we met betsy near her hometown in michigan. she was once part of lance armstrong's inner circle. her husband frankie was one of armstrong's teammates and one of his best friends. when you found out lance had cancer, what was your reaction? >> disbelief. it was unbelievable that an athlete so young, somebody in such good shape had cancer. and there was a great sorrow there as well. >> reporter: during one hospital visit, she heard something she

knew she could never forget. >> doctors began to ask lance a few banal questions and then boom, have you ever used any performance-enhancing drugs? and lance, holding his iv nonchalantly rattled off yes, steroids, testosterone, growth hormone, epo, cortisone. my eyes popped out of my head. frankie saw that i was upset. and he excused ourselves and we left. >> reporter: lance was deposed in a civil lawsuit. he denied betsy's account of the incident in the hospital room. >> absolutely not. >> okay. . >> it didn't happen. >> reporter: a world away in a village in manchester england lives another woman who knew too much about armstrong. for four years starting before his won his first tour de france, irish born emma o'reilly was with armstrong's racing team, she cooked, washed clothes and gave massages to the

exhausted cyclists. one of the things lance has said so often is i've never had a positive drug test, but he did test positive for cortisone at one point. you're in the circle as the conversation is going on as to what to do about it. what did lance say he wanted to do? >> well, what was agreed to do was the obvious thing, the only thing, back date the prescription, so that the prescription tech anily started before the tour started so that he had already been taking cortisone. >> reporter: and people bought it. >> people bought it. there's a certain irony, because he failed the first drug test he took at the prologue, at the start of the first of the seven tour de frances. if people had been looking for the truth and prepared to listen to the truth then, it all could have stopped then. myself and betsy, we were kind of the unattractive face, if

that makes sense, because the whole seven-time tour de france winner, that's much, much more attractive to look at than two women saying there's doping, drugs, people are dying. what would you prefer to watch? the cyclists in france, or two women saying there's drugs in cycling? >> reporter: two crazy women. >> two crazy women. >> he also mentioned that emma o'reilly was paid $10,000 for her work on a book detailing her accusations, and we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, the war in the store. local retailers fighting back against online stores. >> plus, one family, two

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you are looking at what is now tropical storm sandy. the massive storm set to hit somewhere in the northeast late monday into tuesday. a lot of people guessing. some forecasters say they haven't seen anything like it. we'll get the latest as rez

den -- residents brace for the worst. >> somewhere in the east coast. i was supposed to be in virginia tomorrow. >> my husband says that all the windows might be smashed out of our house. thanks for making me feel good about it. meantime, we're happy to have all these nice people here on a saturday morning, october 27th, 2012. with the storm approaching, they're not going to want to be outside in a couple days, that's for sure. >> and we're here -- andrea canning here with us. coming up, one family's fight with breast cancer. seven women in two generations have been affected by the disease. they've got 12 surgeries between them and they're not done yet. this morning five of them will join us to talk about the battle that they're facing together. plus, it's not even halloween yet, but big retailers are gearing up for holiday shoppers. their challenge, how to keep you from browsing in the store but buying online. coming up, what they're doing to win your business. and later, the year's top earning dead celebrities. you might be surprised to find out who tops the list.

but we begin this half-hour with a scandal in britain. for decades, jimmy savo was a huge star in british television. a year after he died, hundreds of people have come forward to claim he was also a sexual predator. it's causing a scandal for the bbc, one of britain's most respected news organization. more now from annabel roberts in london. >> reporter: for 20 years, the children's show was a highlight of saturday night family tv on the bbc. he was an eccentric, a british institution, a tease with royalty, a much loved part of the establishment. even blessed by the pope. but now british police say some 300 people have come forward claiming he was a pedophile who abused them during his 60-year broadcasting career. a cub scout who appeared on his show when he was 9 told the bbc

how he was allegedly abused. >> he put his hand on my knee and started touching me, and then at the same time, he grabbed my hand and forced my hand on top of his trousers. i was absolutely petrified. >> reporter: when confronted six years ago, he denied being an abuser. >> i'm very boring. i don't do drugs. i don't do any of them things. >> reporter: he died last year at the age of 85 and was mourned as a national treasure. he had raised more than $60 million for charity, much of it for hospitals where he was allowed unsupervised visits. the victims claim he used this privilege to abuse them. >> reporter: some of the victims claim it took place on bbc premises. this woman claimed he put his hand up her skirt on a live broadcast in front of millions of viewers. last year, bbc journalists working on a report about the allegation were told

unexpectedly by their bosses to stop. then a month later, a glowing tribute program about his life was broadcast, which has raised awkward questions for the bbc. the new chief executive of "the new york times" mark thompson ran the bbc at this time. there's no evidence he was involved, but he may be questioned. >> so if i can help in any way with those inchoquiries, i will so. >> jimmy was knighted at buckingham palace, but as authorities investigate 300 allegations of aburabuse, his reputation has tumbled. let's get another check of the weather now. >> dylan dreyer is on the plaza with an update on tropical storm sandy. good morning. >> we are keeping an eye on sandy. obviously affecting the carolinas. i found some fine folks here from south carolina. who do you want to say hi to? >> we want to say hi to all of our patients and our friends in anderson, california, with

hospice of the state, and by two grandsons, alex and dillon. >> squeeze everybody in. >> family, friends, everybody. mostly our patients. they're watching. >> wonderful. good morning to all them. hello out there in south carolina. you know, we are keeping an eye on sandy, of course. but we also have a huge temperature contrast from the way it has been. look at the 30s, the 40s, all working down, even into oklahoma, back into kansas. we are going to see that cooler air hold strong up through the dakotas as well, and across the east coast, we're actually enjoying temperatures in the 50s and 60s. so it's not going to be too cold. but we are watching that cold front produce some showers down into ohio as well. the rest of the >> good morning from the weather center. we have clear skies and not much to talk about. it's because of high pressure in control. we are talking about sunshine

and temperature in the 70s and 80s. halloween looks to laufr rain. 81 in santa rosa. 74 in san francisco. the more cast shows that rain does arrive. this weekend looks good with 80s inland. also this weekend, it's saturday. that means tomorrow is sunday. we're look at "sunday night football" night in america. the new orleans sanints taking n the denver broncos. perfect football weather. 49 to 53 degrees. can't beat that. of course, you can always get your forecast, if you can't on tv, online at weather.com. lester? still ahead, we'll meet five women from one family, each affected by breast cancer. we'll talk to them about their treatment, how they're getting through it. but first, these messages. ♪ threemendous. ♪

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breast cancer awareness month is winding down, but for one family in houston, the disease is always on their minds. every woman in the smith family has been affected. even after three diagnoses and 12 surgeries, they are not ready to give up. >> my name is toni smith, i was diagnosed with breast cancer june, 28. >> my name is mary smith-johnson. i am toni's baby sister that has chosen to have an elective

double mastectomy to be preventative. >> i'm toni's first cousin. i was diagnosed with breast cancer in july of 2004. >> one family, two generations, seven women. their lives forever changed by breast cancer. carla's mother lena the first to lose her battle to the disease 32 years ago. >> the hardest moment was when i found out that i had it. and i was wondering why. because of losing my mother when i was 7. >> there have been three positive diagnoses in this family. >> my eldest sister has already had a double mastectomy and a breast reconstruction. she and my mom went in on the same day. >> reporter: earlier this year, another devastating diagnosis.

triple negative breast cancer found in toni's mom connie. >> it grows very quickly. this is a particular type of cancer which in young african-american women is often lethal. >> reporter: it's why carla fears for her 16-year-old daughter epiphany. >> reporter: i'm very worried for my daughter. >> i see them as survivors. so if they can do it, i can do it, too. >> i don't want my nephews or nieces seeing cancer and think it's something to be afraid of. i want think to think of cancer and look at us and say they made it through. >> reporter: today they continue to draw strength from each other and the path. >> as far as my aunt lena passing, that's who i want to be like when i grow up. yeah, because i always saw her strength. and her strength reminded me of everything that we always went through. >> strong women. toni, mary, carla, connie are

all here this morn. my own mother died of breast cancer about six years ago, and i have three little girls, so my heart really goes out to all of you. there's only five of you here today. your mother is undergoing surgery next week. can you tell us a little bit about how she's doing and her story right now? >> she's doing fine. she's the strength, she's the backbone of the family. so that's -- we get our strength from her. she's been preparing for her surgery next wednesday. so she's resting right now. and getting prepared for it. >> we wish her all the best. mary, you opted for the double mastectomy and the hysterectomy, even though you didn't test positive for the gene. >> correct. >> why go through all that if you aren't even sure what the future holds? >> with my family history, i have two people in my family diagnosed recently. the risk factors are so large. i'm doing it preventatively so i

can see zoe grow up. >> isn't that what it's all about? just making sure you see your kids, right? >> exactly. >> lena, you're doing the same. why for you? did you feel like putting your body through this when you're not sure. >> i'm doing it because of the risk factors that are within my family are hereditary and i wanted to be proactive to show other individuals out there that they can do it, too. >> it must really put your mind at ease too because you're not thinking every day, is today the day. >> it does. our family didn't know 30 years ago that we should have done the analysis. it doesn't you if you have cancer, but it will tell you your inherent disease options and it gives your doctor a chance to be preventive, as opposed to chemo and surgeries. >> how has this bonded you all as a family? >> i'm the oldest.

in the beginning -- >> you've got a big job. >> yes. it was very hard for us when we found out about carla and we found out bowabout toni. but i think the surgery itself made us so close. all our sisters took off for like 30 days and stayed at the hospital with me and my mom and they came to the hospital and they did everything that we did with toni. we all just shut down because we had no choice. >> it must feel good having each other. >> the support is there. it is. i really appreciate that they are there for me. we have always been a large family and we've always been supportive of each other and we're going to stay that way. >> well, again, i'm so glad you have each other and we wish your mother all the best next week. thank you so much for joining us. you are strong women. thank you. and up next, the shopping wars. brick-and-mortar retailers go on the offensive against their online rivals this holiday season. what this means for you right after this. for meat!

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great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. talking about the walmart low price guarantee. that's your receipt from another store? you know it! let's put it to the test. butterfinger! nestle crunch! baby ruth! oh my gosh, i love candy! and if you find a lower advertised price, they'll match it at the register. that means i can buy more! oh my, gosh! that's the walmart low price guarantee! see for yourself! bring in your last receipt and see how much you can save. save more on the candy your family loves with hauntingly low prices on all their nestle favorites. get more halloween for your money, guaranteed. walmart! just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. military families face, we understand.

at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. nearly half of all holiday shoppers will make an online purchase this year. that poses a bit of a challenge for the traditional brick-and-mortar merchants. many big name retailers are upping the ante to ensure in-store traffic. >> reporter: trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to -- shop for? forget the candy and costumes. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot

like christmas ♪ >> reporter: the season of giving is already here. yes, in october. brick-and-mortar retailers and their online competitors have their game plans set and are ready to lure you in right now. where are you going to do your holiday shopping, in a store or online? >> both. >> in stores. >> reporter: why? >> because i like to look at the selection. >> most of us look online. >> consumers are a little bit more optimistic than a year ago. much more optimistic than a few years ago. we believe that online will continue to post double digit growth year over year. >> reporter: for web giants like amazon.com with less overhead than the traditional retailers, low prices and free shipping keep the buyers at home shopping for gifts. another challenge for retailers, something called showrooming, where a customer will come into a store, see a physical item like this helicopter to see if it works, and then go online and buy it somewhere maybe a little bit cheaper. the good news for you to, combat

showrooming, retailers like best buy, target, and walmart will all price match select online competitors this holiday season. >> you've got someone in store. you don't want them to walk away and lose the sale. >> places like macy's are taking another approach. just take a look at the classic "miracle on 34th street." >> the only important thing is to make the children happy, whether macy's or somebody else sells toy, doesn't make any difference. >> reporter: so they're teaming up with somebody else. >> we're offering hot toy rez r reservati reservation. >> reporter: the top three tact tactics, combining social media and smart phones, exclusive brands, and exclusive events and activities only offered in the store. activities that will no doubt put the happy in the holidays for many consumers. just ahead here on "today," we're tracking sandy's path as

it heads up and toward the east coast. al roker is in the path of storm. he'll have a live report for us. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still to come on "today," should a teacher fired for her porn actress past be allowed to get her job back? this morning, the emotional court battle. plus, a look at which dead celebrities earned the most money this year. but first, these messages. ng se. until i had the shingles. it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com

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mom, pop it. ♪ two inches apart, becky. two inches. t-minus nine minutes. [ ding ] [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls. let the making begin. ♪ too bad the guys aren't here we're clear. ok, swarm! swarm! hello [ female announcer ] pillsbury chocolate chip cookies. let the making begin >> good morning. looking live at the bay bridge toll plaza. clear as the eye can see. what does ta mean for those of us around the bay? we have a nice warm weekend

after a very cold weekend and a hot weekend. >> we have been all over the place, but we are starting to enter into november, the last full weekend of october. we are starting to sigh a ironic. >> as we head towards halloween, there is rain if the forecast wednesday into thursday. this would be a good time to celebrate. santa cruz at 76. river more at 80. broit and warm today and warm and more clouds for monday and tuesday. you get the kids ready and starting to make your own plans. keep in mind, rain gear, porch skpoes umbrellas. >> i don't get to wear a skimpy outfit. >> after years of layoffs and

cut backs, the defendant fire department is growing. they represent the largest class the department trained. thanks to anit $8.6 million federal grant, they will boost the number to ax 83236s which is close to 700 the department had in 2008. chad has been waiting siblgs years for the moment. >> the feeling like when you impacted someone's life by potentially saving it is a great feeling that makes the job and the career worth it. >> training for the recruits will start on monday and become full-fledged firefighters next march. the sheriff's office will talk with residents about putting remote control planes in the skies above them. the sheriff's office will set up

a display on the system today as part of the urban shield exercise in dublin. this is video of how it works. the officials want to use the system to conduct surveillance. residents are worried about their privacy. the display will be set up at the department of homeland security at 9:30 this morning. election day is 11 day, a way, but the votes are being counted already. they started counting absentee ballots this morning. one million californians already cast their ballot. they expect about a quarter of a million ballot in the county alone. on today in the bay, a hotly contested race and how a candidate is taking to the

streets to get his message out. more local news in 30. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ still looking at the waves pounding the shore in nags head, north carolina, thanks to the leading edge of what is now tropical storm sandy. the storm is a major threat to portions of the mid atlantic and northeast. it's packing sustained winds of about 70 miles per hour, but it

could regain hurricane strength in the coming days as it heads up to our area. welcome back to "today" saturday morning, the 27th day of october, 2012. nice crowd on the plaza stopping by to wave hello to their friends and family back home. our thanks to them for spending part of their saturday with us and we'll join them. meantime, inside studio 1a i'm lester holt. >> i was terrified. >> you on, we're 10 feet above sea level? we're vulnerable. >> they're always trying to scare you, the news, right? >> that's us. >> here's the latest on tropical storm sandy, five states and the district of columbia have declared states of emergency. millions of people in the path of the storm are being urged to stock up on supplies because sandy is such a massive storm, widespread power outages and flooding are expected and we'll get the latest from where it starts to make landfall. >> candidates are criss-crossing

the country trying to make their case to voters especially in those crucial battleground states and what are both candidates focusing on during the homestretch? we're live from the campaign trail with more on that. and then the latest on the horrible crime in new york city. two children knifed to death allegedly by their nanny. what could have caused her to do such a thing? it's every parent's worst nightmare. new information about the pressures she was facing in her own life. switching gears, justin timberlake has been married a week and he's saying "i'm sorry." i'm curious about that one. we begin with hurricane sandy and al roker is with us. >> reporter: as you mentioned, hurricane sandy now back up to hurricane strength. the winds now are at 75 miles per hour, and we'll give you all of the stats coming up, but as we've seen already, it's caused massive destruction in its path. this one looks like it's going

to be one for the record books. >> reporter: it's threatening to be one of the worst storms to hit the northeast in decades. tropical storm sandy now barreling toward the east coast, bringing with it gale-force winds, chances of flooding, heavy rain and possibly snow. the storm already slamming into cuba with 105-mile-per-hour winds, cutting you poor, toppling trees. in the bahamas, winds swept ocean water into the streets causing extensive coastal flooding. at least 40 people are dead across haiti, cuba and jamaica. those scenes of destruction are causing people on the east coast to make last-minute preparations. >> have enough food and water for everyone in your household. >> reporter: states of emergency have been declared across five states and washington, d.c. governor cuomo reminding residents about the halloween storm that left thousands without poor for days. >> remember what we went through last year. common sense precaution, high

winds and rain is what we would expect. it would be a good idea to get extra supplies so you don't have to leave the house in the beginning of the wreak next week. >> mayor bloomberg urging houses to have an emergency kit. >> you should have drinking water, the ins to be prepared for possible outages. >> reporter: the navy sending their ships out toy is as a precautionary measure, while in new jersey where many computer models are predicting a direct hit, beach residents are filling sandbags and ruring to close rides and stands that usually take weeks to shut down. >> it is all hands on deck thing. just everyone pitching in and making sure we can get everything taken care of before the storm hits. >> reporter: all right. let's look and see where we're going with this system. right now, as we said it is hurricane sandy and the winds currently 75 miles per hour and we're 375 miles southeast of charleston and moving at 10

miles per hour. tropical storm winds extend out some 450 miles from the center of this storm so it is a massive storm. here are the advisories we have right now. we've got hurricane warnings, i should say, the storm surge we're talking about right now, anywhere from 3 to 5 feet later on today from wilmington all of the way to cape hatteras and as you get into the hampton bay area. rainfall amounts will be from 7 to 8 inches and some areas up to a foot along the coastal carolinas. the path of the storm will bring it up parallel to the coast through today as it is now a category 1 storm. it continues to make that path along the coast through tomorrow night, then what happens is we're going to see basically a turn to the left and it had come onshore, smrngs anywhere between the delmarva peninsula and long island, new york, and that could mean devastating results out of this system and we have two other models that show which way

this could go. the american model and the european model again, the difference between the two systems and we're talking about a couple of hundred miles with the american system coming onshore in new york, either way, it's going to mean massive problems for the northeast from washington, d.c., all of the way up into new england and inland, once it gets inland, this is not just a coastal event and as you remember tropical storm irene caused more damage inland than it did along the coast. this system could dump up it a foot of snow, parts of west virginia, ohio on into pennsylvania. andrea, this one is going to be a massive, massive problem probably for days to come. >> all right, al. thank you. stay safe. dylan dryer will be here with the rest of the nation's forecast in just a few minutes. here's lester. >> all right. hurricane sandy is already impacting the race for the white house. mitt romney and vice president joe biden each canceled planned weekend appearances in virginia. ron mott is in ohio and he's

traveling with vice presidential candidate paul ryan. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. as we all know it takes 270 electoral votes to win the white house. 18 votes are up for grabs in ohio and they just may be the most important votes of all. >> hello, nevada! >> reporter: along with the weather churning over the atlantic, president obama and governor mitt romney are whipping up a storm of their own. a catch camp blizzard. >> we're in ohio, thank you! thank you so much. >> reporter: as election looms ten days away. friday, mr. obama hit the airwaves, giving a flurry of interviews including mtv where he courted younger voters. >> we grow when everybody's got a shot. that's the america that allowed me to sit in this place and that's the america i want to re-create for the next generation. >> god bless iowa. >> reporter: governor romney spent his day in two battlegrounds, iowa and ohio

last night with running mate paul ryan. >> i didn't recognize him with his shirt on. >> reporter: in the waning days, the war of words between campaigns is growing more intense. >> it's time to have a president and vice president who care more about the people than they care about politics. >> reporter: the president seemingly referring to his opponent as a b.s.er to "rolling stone" magazine, questioning why republican colin powell endorsed mr. obama. >> when you have someone of your own race that you're proud of being president of the united states, i applaud him for standing by him. >> reporter: sununu later said he didn't doubt it was policy related. >> reporter: the president has maintained a lead in the polls as the make or break vote. >> if we don't win ohio it's tough to see us winning the election nationally. >> reporter: florida, virginia, colorado and nevada are also

being vigorously contested by both men, evidenced by recent trips and now the watch is on to see how sandy stretches in, already nixing campaigns in virginia this weekend and a new hampshire stop for the first lady early next week. >> reporter: governor romney in campaigns today in florida with senator marco rubio, paul ryan will embark on a two-day, 400-mile bus tour this weekend and the president will campaign later today in new hampshire. >> ron mott, thanks. karen finney is former communications director for the democratic national committee and steve schmitt is the cnbc political analyst for the 2008 mccain campaign. good morning to both of you. thanks for coming on. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> steve, let me start with you. ohio has been called this year's florida. if you're looking at the numbers and you're the romney campaign are you worried about ohio right now in a big way.

>> well, if you're the romney campaign you know you have to win ohio. that's why you'll see so much time spent by governor romney and congressman romney before the debate. denver is out of reach in ohio for governor romney and now it's a very, very close race. it's anywhere from president obama with a slight lead, so it will come down to the wire. >> karen, when you break down the ohio numbers further. it's interesting when you look especially at those who will vote early, the obama folks win about six out of ten early voters, but losing those who say they're going to vote on election day, 44 to 51, romney to 51. what's the story there, is it potentially that the obama campaign is peaking too early with the early voters? >> i don't think so. i think that's great spin from the romney campaign, and if i was in the romney campaign i would probably be saying that as well. early voters tend to be what we call sporadic voters.

it's a different universe of voters than those that vote on election day. they're people who don't necessarily vote on any election, presidential, midterm, you name it. so by targeting people, the sporadic voters to get them out to vote early, you're expanding the universe of voters. some of these folks, there may be a difference on election day, it's actually two different universes of voters. it's a strong strategy, ta particularly with the storms coming. >> steve, let me ask you about the comments that have become distractions, richard murdoch, the republican senate candidate from indiana with his infamous rape comments and we just heard john sununu suggesting that colin powell's endorsement of the candidate may be racially related. do those things affect undecided voters down the stretch? >> they may affect undecided voters, but i think it's

unlikely, lester because weir so close to the election and the issues are so big and we're in the period post-debate. it could cost republicans a u.s. senate seat in indiana and i don't think it will have an impact on the presidential race. i think john sununu has said a number of controversial thing, but i would put that in the same category as the president calling his opponent a b.s.er in rolling stone or some of the over the top comments. >> thanks both for coming on this morning, good to have you here. >> i'll be reporting from virginia on how the election is shaping up on the key battleground state as we cover hurricane sandy coming ashore. once again, here's andrea. lester, thanks. now to a heartbreaking story that has touched families across the country and our own here at nbc. a new york city nanny allegedly killed two young children in her care.

mara schiavocampo has more from the upper west side. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, andrea. the makeshift memorial continues to grow as people around the community continue to express their sadness over this horrifying crime. the nanny at the center of the tragedy remains in the hospital and she's unable to speak or answer any questions and police say she'd been facing financial problems and was seeking professional help. police have yet to speak with yoselyn ortega, the 50-year-old nanny they say fatally stabbed two children in her care on thursday. 6-year-old lulu and 2-year-old leo. the children were discovered by their mother marina krim who returned home with her 3-year-old daughter from a swim lesson shortly after 5:30. their father kevin krim, an executive at cnbc was given the devastating news after he returned from a business trip later that evening. >> we are still in the process of going through the apartment

and also the purse of the -- of this woman. >> reporter: authorities say ortega had no history of violence and lived with her son and other family members in a nearby manhattan neighborhood. >> she had been employed by the family for approximately two years. she was referred to them by another family. >> reporter: by all accounts, the krim family knew their sitter well, even visiting ortega's relatives in her native dominican republic. with over 60% of the nation's children cared for by people other than their parents, this story hits home for families and caregivers everywhere. >> know what this mother is going through and i'm a mother, too, who lost her kids. >> sometimes as a mother and a nanny you tend to develop a bond with the kid that you take care of. >> we rely other people to help us and we trust them and treat them like family and we need them. >> reporter: across the country and around the world, many

express their sadness online as well. >> i have felt sick to my stomach and on the verge of tears all day. this story haunts me to the core. >> reporter: experts say horrific crimes like this are rare, but still they leave parents questioning the safety of their own children. >> when something like this happens, every parent questions themselves and says am i doing anything that places my child at risk? is there anything i could be doing better to make sure that they are okay? >> reporter: police say ortega is a u.s. citizen who has been in the country for ten years. she has not yet been charged. andrea? >> thank you, mara. makes you want to hug your kids a little bit tighter. thanks for that report. >> it is time for the rest of the news headlines. we return to tom llamas. >> good morning, everyone. there is word on what was going on with the company under

investigation for the meningitis. federal investigators say mold bacteria and a greenish-reddish residue were found in areas that were supposed to be sterile. the last government report has 330 cases of meningitis nationwide and 25 deaths. senate majority leader harry reid is in good condition after a car accident. he was in a chain reaction car crash in las having as friday. he was treated and released from the hospital as were some of his staff members. police in ken bunk, maine have released names in the zumba prostitution scandal. alexis wright has been charged with using zumba lessons as a front for prostitution. police say she secretly taped encounters and her list contains many prominent names. smoking in the largest study ever done, british researchers

followed 1 million women smokers and those women were twice as leakly to die younger and their life expectancy is 11 years shorter. and a mystery is brewing on the internet about an amazing football highlight. check this out. a video from a high school scrimmage shows a runningback flipping over a tackler and landing on his feet. sports reporters have been unable to track down the game, but it is awesome. dylan out on the mrplaza. >> it is producing some outer bands along theest on coast of the carolinas, but elsewhere across the country, we are talking about chilly temperatures. 30s in the northern plains, texas on the cool side with highs only in the 50s with showers across the eastern area of the great lakes through ohio and western pennsylvania.

good morning from the weather center. we have clear skies as you take a peek at the bridge. not much to talk about. it's because of high pressure in control leaving our skies not only clear for today, but trchl as well. rain in the forecast for halloween come wednesday. not bad. 74 in san francisco and near 80 in livermore. the rain is with us through thursday. have a great weekend. rom all countries obviously here on the plaza. >> love it, dylan, thanks. there is still more to come. the video that has justin timberlake apologizing. we'll have the story and next, even the liveliest celebrities are no match for them. find out which stars raked in the money last year.

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together we can make a difference. find lids now at walmart. ♪ that's why new dove style + care whipped cream mousse nourishes and conditions to help keep curls well defined and touchably soft. new dove style + care whipped cream mousse. better style through better care. we always hear about how much celebrities make for their big movies or how much pop stars earn on their latest album. >> but "forbes" has an interesting list of the top earning dead celebrities. >> we're going to play a little game here. dylan can't play. she read ahead. >> i'm excluded from this game. >> it's pretty amazing. the top five earned $464 million

in the last year. here's your first clue. we'll play some music and head to jamaica where lester has some roots. any ideas? >> that's an easy one. >> bob marley passed away in 1981. >> and still making all that money. >> $17 million last year along with the albums, the posters and the t-shirts. there's now marley beverage company. true or not true, if you're on a desserted album, bob marley legend, the one album you'd want. >> i don't know. >> and you played bass in the whalers, right? coming in at number four. we'll start with a tune. see if you guys recognize it. >> charlie brown? >> yeah. charles schultz, the creator of peanuts. the next time you want to make fun of charlie brown, just know he is dripping in gucci. the estate raked in $37 million

last year. let's move to number three. this one's pretty easy. elvis. elvis pulled in $55 million through his music and cirque du soleil show. some are saying elvis shouldn't be on this list because he was recently spotted outside a criskrispy kreme in utah. number two, michael jackson. pulled in $45 million. number one, liz taylor. she pull in money from a record-breaking auction. >> perfume. >> and her big quote. big girls deserve big diamonds. >> i thought it would be michael jackson. we're back in a moment, but first this is "today" on nbc. [ woman ] dear chex cereal,

i've never written a fan letter before, but you've done what i thought was impossible: you made good-for-you, gluten-free cereals in a whole bunch of yummy flavors. cinnamon chex and honey nut chex are two of our favorites. when my husband rob found the chocolate one, we were in cereal heaven. the only problem is, with so many great flavors you're making it very hard to choose. so thanks. from your fans, the mcgregor family. 'cause we love chex. [ male announcer ] love chex? connect with us on facebook. ahead, justin timberlake known for his music, acting and having a sense of humor. now he's apologizing for a joke that sort of backfired. plus, three real women try

to find a perfect pair of jeans. but first, these messages. twenty-threebillion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. and bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. ho w do edelicious hershey's chocolate with 30% less fat? new hershey's simple pleasures chocolate. 30% less fat, 100% delicious. -oh, that's just my buds. -bacon. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] donuts. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us? okay. ♪ fiber one is gonna make you smile. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one nutty clusters and almonds.

>> electric being like in downtown san jose. a lovely and warm afternoon. thanks very much fiduciary joining us with a electric at the forecast. it looks great for your weekend

plans to halloween. your halloween, not so much. >> we are tracking the system in between high pressure. it's about 1,000 files offshore. in the meantime, high pressure in control. we have a couple of nice days ahead of us and today and tomorrow picture perfect. 70s and 80s and a dry wind and thus meaning less fog, but also allowing for plenty of sunshine. heads up as you make plans forra halloween. for today, not bad. napa 74 and livermore at 80 and pleasant in san francisco at 74. even at the coast it will be nice. rain heads our way and that will stick us owe with us. this will be a drenching rain so times we talk about spottiy showers this is not going to be one of those. wish i had better news. >> we will trick or treat at

2:00 in the afternoon. the giants are gearing up for game three tonight. 2-0 in the best of sechk series. ryan vogelsong will start and he said is staying focused. >> i come in with a chip on my shoulder, i need to work harder and get myself better on a daily basis and game day there is a chip there and i have a lot to prove in the game. >> it will be a chilly night. temperatures expected to hover in the freezing range at first pitch. game time 5:00 pacific. new details in a murder investigation and arrest in castro valley. two teens are accused of killing a woman and then setting her house on fire to cover up the crime. alameda deputies arrested the 18-year-old and 16-year-old.

the two killed barbry latchly in the home she shared with her boyfriend. the caen-year-old is relative and often did yard work for the couple. this woman was in her own home and violated by a person she knows and trusts and about these two young men commit a despicable act. >> the 16-year-old will be tried as an adult and both will be back in court on monday. coming up on today in the bay, halloween is coming up fast and while we usually associate halloween with candy, the treats can be dangerous. how to make halloween safe for children with diabetes. today in the bay starts at 7:00. all the bay's news and another look at the spooky forecast. see you back in 30.

and we are back on this saturday, october 27th. and this is an amazing crowd. getting ready for the storm. it's now a hurricane. hurricane sandy. stoill to come, we're going to talk about justin timberlake

and why he's not bringing sexy back, but he's bringing sorry back. >> he is bringing sorry back. he's only been married a week. he's apologizing for something that happened at his wedding. we'll fill you in on that. and we'll also take a look at jeans. how many women struggle with this. you wouldn't know about this. >> guys struggle, too. >> so we're going to have something for every body type that i think will give some good tips out there for the ladies. >> and the guys. but this is a women's thing. i get it. also coming i, we know how we get nickelled and dimed every time you travel. you want to pay a little more for the aisle seat, the window seat, a seat near the front. we'll tell you what other charges you can expect if you're heading out of town. and later, we'll show you how you can roll up your sleeves and make a difference. >> this is an important weekend. we'll tell you about that coming up. but first, let's get a check on the all-important weather. dylan is standing by to tell us more about this hurricane that's moving our way. >> it is back up to a hurricane

right now. sandy still well out to sea. we'll watch as it moves closer to shore. we've got a 50th anniversary. happy anniversary to you, folks, and a 50th birthday to who? >> alicia. >> it's me. >> you're alicia. happy birthday. lots of celebrating on the plaza this morning. we are looking at this storm. to bring its outer bands to areas like the shores of north carolina into virginia later on today, that cold front is also going to bring some showers to ohio, through western new york state, west virginia as well. it is cold in the upper plains. temperatures today only in the 30s and 40s. 50s through texas even. tomorrow in the pacific northwest, we are looking for heavy rains, some mountain snow. it does warm up in the plains states and we'll keep an eye on sandy. we'll see the rough surf, the heavy rain and

>> good morning frommed the bay area weather center. high pressure in control this weekend and talking about clear skies today and tomorrow. heads up if you are making plans for halloween. rain if the forecast come wednesday. this weekend is a good time to celebrate. 77 in concord and 79 in fremont. oakland at 78 and same for redwood city. the city by the bay is 74. by wednesday that sticks with us through thursday. have yourself a great weekend and keep the spf handy. and we might be talking about sandy, but we are also talking about the saints and the broncos. tomorrow night is "sunday night football" night in america and we are headed out to denver. partly cloudy and cool. 49 to 53 degrees. should be a good game with perfect weather. you can always check out your latest forecast any time online at weather.com. andrea? >> thank you, dylan. a bizarre story. justin timberlake is apologizing for what he called a distasteful video congratulating him and his

new wife jessica biel on their wedding. michelle franzen has the details. >> reporter: newlyweds justin timberlake and jessica biel didn't get much time to bask in the afterglow of their picture perfect nuptials before making headlines. in a way the couple didn't anticipate. a home video made by one of timberlake's friends as a joke featuring homeless people in los angeles turned up on the internet before being taken down. >> justin, i haven't seen you in a long time. the gift is in the mail. >> jessica, it's me. >> reporter: and has turned out to be anything but funny for the pop star thanks to his friend. >> what he did was interview homeless people, drunk people, seemingly mentally ill people in the streets of los angeles and the joke was here your hollywood friends who miss you. >> reporter: talk of the video went viral on the internet, along with the backlash. timberlake quickly offered an apology to fans in a letter on his website calling the video

distasteful. and added, "i am not defending the video." had no knowledge of its existence. and had absolutely zero contribution to it. he said his friends clearly had a lapse in judgment. >> again, i'm sure that joke seemed really funny when they came up with it, but once it's introduced to the light of day in a media environment that can be pretty unforgiving, it's a big embarrassment. i think justin handled it as well as he could. >> reporter: timberlake and biel made it official last week, celebrating their wedding with friends in italy. before the controversial video emerged, the buzz was all about biel's choice of a pink wedding dress. now following timberlake's personal appeal to fans, the beaming couple is likely hoping they can go back to enjoying their new life as newlyweds. for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> we do wish them all the best on their marriage.

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ventured away from home recently. brace yourself if you're hitting the road this holiday season, because no matter how hard you try to avoid them, you're almost certain to be hit by extra fees. here's tom costello. >> reporter: it doesn't matter if your great escape involves flying, a bon voyage, or a weekend getaway at a nice hotel. it's awfully hard to avoid getting socked paying for stuff that used to be free. >> charging for bags is kind of like going to restaurant and them charging me for silverware. >> the upgrade your seat fee just to reserve a seat on the plane that you already paid for. >> a sense of always have been to dish out more and more. >> reporter: depending on which airline you fly, there's the baggage fee, the carry on fee, the in-flight meal fee, the aisle seat fee, the talk to a real person fee, and families can be charged more for sitting together. >> which means that families who want to sit next to their 5-year-old have to pay these additional costs that they

weren't expecting in order to seat the family together. it's really outrageous. >> reporter: for the airlines, the fees are a cash cow, more than $22 million last year, according to "usa today," helping to put airlines back in the black. and guess who's noticed. the already fee-heavy cruise line industry. they're now charging more for boarding early, priority dinner seating, even champagne and lobster now often costs more. did we mention hotels in the wi-fi fee, the parking fee, the pool and gym fee, luggage storage fee, the early checkout fee. >> the early checkout fee just really ticks me off. and now the early return on the rental car fee just ticks me off. it's ridiculous. >> reporter: so what's a family to do? >> know up front what you are paying for. it's all listed out for you online. so at least you'll be prepared, that you'll be experiencing these fees. >> reporter: if you're a member of an airline or a hotel loyalty

program, you may avoid some fees, but the days of freebies may be long gone. for "today," tom costello, nbc news, washington. up next, finding the best jeans to flatter your figure. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] pillsbury grands biscuits. delicious. but say i press a few out flat... add some beef sloppy joe sauce... and cheese fold it all up and boom! i just made an unbeatable unsloppy joe pillsbury grands biscuits. let the making begin.

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what woman hasn't struggled trying to find the perfect pair of jeans? we all know how hard that can be. so jackie stafford is here to help us with that. we have three women who have been struggling a little bit. so we're going to help them. the first one is karen. and she struggles with the dreaded mom jean, right? >> so many of us have that problem. >> no one wants to wear the mom jean. remember jessica simpson, how terrible that was? anyway, let's take a look at karen and we'll show you her transformation. >> my name is karen, i'm 46 years old, i'm a mother of four girls, and the biggest problem i have with buying jeans is the

fact that the rise is so low that my underwear hangs out when i'm bigger. i'm petite, so i need something shorter, which is really hard to find. >> we are going to have the perfect solution. >> jackie, how about these? >> i'll show you why not. i know so many moms love the baggie boyfriend jean, but to be honest, they just look sloppy and they're not doing anything for your figure. >> after having four kids, i'm nervous about putting on tighter jeans. >> so let's find you some color. >> i never thought i'd wear color. >> if you're over 40, i always say go for a more muted shade rather than bright neon because they can skew younger. >> so that's karen. how were you able to find a pair of jeans that really fit karen's petite figure? >> we wanted to make sure that we went for something in the petite's department. you always want to look specifically in the petites department. and also at the color as well. here she is.

>> she looks so great. >> i know that she thought she'd never, ever wear color. so these jeans particularly are by nydj. they have the patented lift tuck technology. they are skinny in the leg, the skinny petite legging. petite is important because it gives you that right knee placement as well. it's a perfect length for her. we got the color. a lot of women are nervous about color. but those are the darker shades. the eggplant. the chocolate. >> i love color jeans. they're so in right now. those do not look like mom jeans. >> they're the anti-mom jean. >> thank you, karen. next up is tanetta. eu your challenge for her was finding a good fit for all her of her curves. >> my name is tanetta. my biggest problem is finding something to fit over my thighs and my bottom area, but that will be small enough to fit my waist. >> the thing is if you're trying

to down play a heavier bottom half, you want to go for more of a slenderizing boot cut bottom. you want a slightly lighter shading down the center panel, because this makes your legs look slimmer just because of the optical illusion. no, no, no. this is not the right silhouette for you. want to create more of an hourglass silhouette. balance off the bottom half. and i know you're going to have another problem with those pants. there's about a four-inch gap here. >> so how were you able to really find something that facility her body like a glove? >> you want to make sure that you're fitting the waist as well as bottom area. so what you ideally want to look for something is something that has a slight boot cut. you want to go for a nice uniform dark wash. these ones. they look quite professional. the great thing about a dark wash is you can take it to the office and wear a jacket over it. she is a professional, so she wants something she can look

great in at the office. a nice, clean dark boot cut. keep the hem long. always want the original hem on your pants. >> that's a good tip. you can tell when it's not the original. >> have the original hem put on the bottom of your pant. keep the hem long. we found these at target, $28, which is a great price. they were relatively small in the waist as well, so they accommodated a smaller waist and a rounder bottom half. >> those are very slimming. they look great. so our last one is tessie. let's take a look at her story. >> my name is sophia smith. the most frustrating thing is finding a nice fit for my thighs. i have a lot of muscle, so i want to find something that slims them down. >> the wash is too light for her. the slent is a kind of awkward length. no pocket. you want to look for the mid placement of pockets.

this looks like a wide expansive bum. >> i love these. >> so remember, every time you do whiskering, it's drawing attention to the part of your body that you don't want. you want to look for a darker uniform wash. it helps slenderize your leg. >> what's the best look for her? >> the best look for her is like a cropped flare. the reason i love these so much is they have the four-way stretch so they're going to retain their shape. she's a dancer. you can tell. she has the muscular thigh. rather than going for a skinny bottom, we wanted to do a tiny little bit of a flare at the bottom there with a crop, so you can wear a crop. some fabulous heels. it's a great leg for her. the little pep as well gives her the extra shape, gives the

curve, brings out the top half of the body. look how she looks phenomenal in those jeans. >> i'm sorry, but her butt looks amazing. >> amazing. pocket placement, it's very important to get the great pockets on those jeans, because the mid pocket will give your bottom half the perfect perky shape. >> when you find a pair of jeans, hang on to them. i've had these for ten years. hang on. >> you buy a pair that you hem with heels and a pair that you hem for flats. >> thank you for being here. mom jeans are not as beautiful. i had to say that really quickly. coming up, how you can make a difference in your community. we'll have that next. about their body washes. i wouldn't change. [ female announcer ] this test paper was designed to react like your skin. if other body washes can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. oh my gosh. [ female announcer ] new dove is different. its new breakthrough formula changes everything with the blend of gentle cleansers and nourishing nutrium moisture. so what do you think now? definitely switching to dove.

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nespresso. what else? today is not just any saturday. it's the 22nd annual make a difference day. >> miriam is here. tell us beaut the largest day of volunteering. tell us more about it. even matt and savannah are involved in this? >> yes, actually, they've all been telling us what inspires them to give back, which is great. about 22 years ago in 1992, we actually asked our readers on a leap year what they would do to give back to somebody else with that extra day and that's how it started. so now 22 years later, we get three million americans out to

actually help somebody else on this day, the fourth saturday in october every year. >> people have been registering to do this. how can folks get into all this? >> you can still register. go to makeadifferenceday.com. you can type in your zip code and find an activity that's going on today. or you can organize your friends and family to find some way to give back this afternoon. if you do, make sure you register your activity because you can actually win a chance to get $10,000 for a charity of your choice. >> what are some of the activities people can get involved in? >> we're leaving you today to go to eisenhower park, to work with let all the children play so they can play alongside other children so. we're going out there to get that playground ready for the spring. in arizona, the diamondbacks are actually organizing the longest paper doll -- to break the "guinness book of world records." >> andrea is wearing her jeans, so she is ready. >> only a few minutes to get

ready. i would put her right to work right away. >> why not? >> come on down. >> thanks so much. >> thank you for having us. >> that's going to do it for us on a saturday morning. tomorrow, i'm headed to virginia for a look at where the presidential election stands in an important battleground state. >> stay safe. it's been such a pleasure and an honor to be here today. thank you, guys. >> take care, everyone. [ woman ] dear chex cereal,

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